Section 144: Ban on aerial firing, fireworks on New Year’s Eve

Riding motorcycles without silencers has also been banned for the night

KARACHI: The provincial government has imposed a ban on aerial firing, fireworks and riding motorcycles without silencers on the eve of New Year. Sea View will also be closed for revellers on New Year's night as part of the police's strategy.

Each year, hundreds of thousands of rounds of ammunition are shot up into the air by revellers to mark the beginning of New Year, which has taken lives in the past. Several citizens have been injured from stray bullets after heavy aerial firing despite tall claims by law enforcers.



Though the revellers celebrate New Year in each part of the city, Sea View and Five Star Chowrangi in North Nazimabad are the two hotspots for the youts, where thousands of youngsters gather and celebrate New Year.

According to a notification issued by the provincial home department on Tuesday, the government has imposed Section 144 on aerial firing, fireworks and riding motorcycles without silencers on the eve of New Year. Apart from this, Karachiites will not be allowed to go to Sea View to welcome the New Year.



A heavy contingent of law enforcers will be deployed on the routes leading towards Sea View while barricades will also be fixed on the routes leading towards the beach. "Strict action will be taken against the violators as we have to stop each and every one — not only the youths but the families, too," Boat Basin DSP Ghulam Nabi Wago told The Express Tribune. "Only the residents of the area will be allowed to go to their homes." Apart from the district police, the traffic police are also making alternative routes for the occasion.

Published in The Express Tribune, December 30^th, 2015.